His labors gave birth to Cove

In 1984, MACOG chief Minkler pitched plan for baseball team in South Bend.

In 1984, MACOG chief Minkler pitched plan for baseball team in South Bend.

March 11, 2006|JAMES WENSITS Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Credit for saving minor league baseball for South Bend goes to former mayor and Indiana governor Joe Kernan. Credit for minor league baseball even being in South Bend goes to the late Charles Minkler, who dreamed up the idea in 1984 and convinced another former mayor, Roger Parent, of the need for a baseball stadium here. "It would not have happened without Charles Minkler," according to Parent. Kernan, as nearly everyone knows by now, is the head of a group of investors who bought the South Bend Silver Hawks on Thursday, ending speculation that the Class A Midwest League team might be moved. Minkler, who was executive director of the Michiana Area Council of Governments prior to his death in 1995, loved baseball. In 1984, Minkler broached the idea of attracting a minor league baseball franchise here and began sending out letters to professional baseball organizations. A news story reporting his efforts drew a strong response and, before long, Minkler had convened the first meeting of the "Bring Pro-baseball to South Bend Committee." Minkler eventually heard back from officials of the Midwest League and sought assistance from Parent, then the mayor. "We were not out looking for a team," said Parent. It was at that point that the stars lined up for South Bend and baseball. Robert and Debby Staley, of Decatur, Ill, and John Wendel, of Lakeland, Fla., had recently acquired a Midwest League franchise. They had originally intended to field a team in the University of Illinois baseball stadium in Champaign, but decided to look for another site after the school refused permission to sell beer during games. Parent recalls that the Staleys and Wendel told him they were interested in locating in South Bend, providing the city would build a stadium. "We had to make a decision quickly," Parent said, recalling that the team owners were also talking to other cities. Parent, never much of a baseball fan, saw the proposal in terms of economic development, and insisted that the stadium be located where it is now. The site on South Street, just south of the downtown, was occupied by a rundown city park frequented by ne'er- do-wells, and was across the street from the less-than-bustling Union Station, a former railroad hub. Parent's hope was that the new ballpark would help make Union Station more attractive to investors, and that the interest would then move southward to the group of abandoned or under-used buildings collectively known as the Studebaker Corridor. The stadium proposal quickly came together and just as quickly drew opposition from community activist Michael Waite and a citizens group, Fair Tax Inc. An attempt by the city to get the Indiana General Assembly to pass a food and beverage tax that could be used to pay for the stadium failed. The city proposed a bond issue, but that idea was dropped when it became apparent that it would be defeated. Instead, Parent and then-city attorney Richard Hill negotiated a lease-purchase agreement through Security Pacific, a San Francisco financial institution, a tactic that further stirred opposition. The former mayor said it was decided to begin construction of the stadium despite a legal challenge that had been filed. Parent said he felt sure the city would win the court case, but acknowledged that the move was "a little gutsy" at the time. Delays created by the financial transaction and legal challenges helped push the opening of the stadium from 1986 to 1987. The first Midwest League season began in 1988. At the time, the team was known as the South Bend White Sox and was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. By that time, the Staleys and Wendel had sold the franchise to Eric Margenau and Jay Acton, of New York City. They brought in another partner, Alan Levin, who acquired sole ownership in 1990. It was Levin who sold the team to Kernan and his group. Coincidentally, Kernan had also known Minkler. "I knew Corky from the time we were kids," said Kernan, using Minkler's nickname. Although Minkler was slightly older than Kernan, the two grew up in the same South Bend neighborhood, had mutual friends and sometimes played baseball together. "South Bend has always provided a good environment and strong support for amateur baseball," Minkler told The Tribune in a 1984 interview. "It leads me to believe a professional team would flourish." In 1996, Minkler was posthumously named "Tourism Leader of the Year" by the South Bend/Mishawaka Convention and Visitors' Bureau because his "love of baseball and his vision for a major attraction in the community resulted in the Stanley Coveleski Regional Baseball Stadium." Staff writer James Wensits: jwensits@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6353